Around Maryland

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a new measure for determining Covid-19 community levels. According to these new metrics that now take into account hospitalizations and hospital capacity in addition to infection numbers, nearly 70% of the United States population resides in areas where masks are no longer required. Why did the CDC make this change? How can people make sense of the Covid-19 community level in their area? Should individuals still mask if they no longer are required to? What about kids in schools? And how should parents evaluate activities like sleepovers and playdates?

The Baltimore Police Department said it needs to replace nearly 300 patrol vehicles, but supply chain issues around the world are keeping it from getting some new cars on the road. Due to shortages of computer parts and plastic components, the department is specifically facing delays in vehicle manufacturing and the availability of fittings needed for the docking stations for the patrol vehicle’s computers, police spokeswoman Amanda Krotki said in an email last month.

Morgan Young sees first hand how students who have common cultural bonds with their teachers connect better with education and flourish in the classroom. “It is really difficult to find texts that have positive Black male archetypes, but even if you don’t have the text, if you have the teachers that are positive Black male role models, that is helpful,” said Young, a Hilltop Elementary School.  teacher. Young says increasing the diversity of the Anne Arundel County Public Schools workforce allows students to see themselves in the professionals with whom they are working and learning every day.

Baltimore City schools leaders have updated the district’s indoor mask policy. According to the school system’s website, masks will be optional starting March 14, “based on the latest guidance from the federal health officials.” a“Our school system and community have stepped forward in a huge way to reduce the spread of the pandemic,” Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises said. “The data and guidance from the CDC are clear and unmistakable evidence.

This summer’s LGBTQ+ pride celebrations in Baltimore will include a parade, block party and other in-person events not held since 2019 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, organizers announced Wednesday. Fittingly, this year’s theme will be “Together Again,” said Merrick Moses, board chairperson for the Pride Center of Maryland.

The Allegany County Public Schools Board of Education voted 3-2 for masks to be optional effective immediately. The school board on Tuesday held a special meeting to discuss an update to the ACPS COVID-19 protocol. ACPS Superintendent Jeff Blank recommended that masks be optional in the school system’s buildings and on school buses.

Severe mental illness used to dominate Eric Smith’s life. He had a history of refusing treatment for his bipolar and schizoaffective disorders, and he repeatedly ended up hospitalized or in jail. But then, roughly a decade ago, Smith was court ordered into assisted outpatient treatment in Texas, where he regularly met with a judge who monitored the progress of his treatment. “I would very, very easily be dead or still caught in the criminal justice system,” he said. “Definitely not where I’m at now.”

The Harford County Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to make masks optional for students and staff, effective Tuesday. “It has been a long two years. We are all tired, but it is time. We need to move on,” said Dr. Roy Philips, a member of the school board. HCPS also updated its operational status, removing restrictions on before- and after-school activities and making its COVID testing program voluntary for all activities.